Album Reviews

From his teenage years until his death, Bill Bissonnette (or “Big Bill Bissonnette,” as he liked to be known) was a staunch champion of traditional

For his recent release on the Spanish Swit label, pianist Ignasi Terraza decided to feature what he called an “unusual trio” with Adrian Cunningham on

Jazz Classic of the Month The Spirits Of Rhythm were a unique, swinging and joyful group that hit it big at the Onyx Club on

The Umlaut Big Band is a very flexible and musical ensemble based in France that is directed by alto-saxophonist Pierre-Antoine Badaroux. Two of their recent

Mosaic Records’ new collection of jazz sessions from the Black & White label nominally covers 1942-49, but a couple of Petrillo-led musicians’-union strikes shut down

In the Windy City, long before the Chicago Cellar Boys, before the Fat Babies, there was the West End Jazz Band. It was formed by

Chip Deffaa has had a busy life with several overlapping careers. From the jazz standpoint, he has been most significant in writing five very valuable

When tenor-saxophonist Harry Allen’s name appears on a CD, it is always worth acquiring. Austrian drummer Reinhardt Winkler is actually the leader of Flying Home,

Andrew Oliver may very well be the finest traditional jazz pianist in the world that you have never heard of. Although an American by birth,

Tenor sax icon Scott Hamilton seems to lead as relaxed a life as his playing suggests. He’s based in Florence, Italy, playing festivals and club

Altoist Johnny Hodges (1907-70) had one of the most beautiful tones of any saxophonist and was a major asset to the Duke Ellington Orchestra for

Doc Evans (1907-77) was a world class trad jazz cornetist who, because he chose to spend much of his life living and performing in Minnesota,

Duke Ellington was such a brilliant and prolific musician that one could pay regular tributes to him as a pianist, arranger, and/or composer and never

The Doro Wat Jazz Band of New Orleans produced a self-titled CD a few years ago, featuring the cream of the traditionalist crop of musicians

The recordings featured on this CD are all taken from the archive of the late John R.T. Davies, UK multi-instrumentalist and wizard of restoration. Some

The Austin High School Gang, a group of teenagers in Chicago attending Austin High School in the 1920’s, became smitten with the jazz of the

When I first saw a punk folk band called Holy Moly and the Crackers, I wished I could get married again just to have them

Describing themselves as “a band for dancers and listeners alike,” Australian outfit Andrew Dickeson’s Blue Rhythm Band have been delighting swing fans around their native

In this second volume of Once More from the Beginning! by the Red Beans ’n’ Rice Jazz Band, Stuart McLean continues his recounting of the

During 1943-49, the Black & White label, which was founded and run by Lester Schriber, was one of the most significant small record companies on

If a group of traditional jazz fans were asked to name a great trombonist of the genre from the 1920s-1930s, we might hear “Jack Teagarden

Tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton and guitarist Duke Robillard have been friends for a half century, growing up in Rhode Island and first playing together when they

The legendary Crane River Jazz Band was one of the earliest bands in the Traditional Jazz Revival in the U.K. that began in the late

Buddy Johnson (1915-77) was a fine pianist and an important bandleader. He began recording with a swing septet in 1939. His group, which featured his